Vir Chakra (VrC)Awardee: Lt Col Abjit Singh Sekhon, VrC

Lieutenant Colonel Abjit Singh Sekhon, Commanding Officer 7 Madras, was deployed in Sri Lanka as a part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force. On 13 April 1988, he received information about location of an arms cache at a place called Vannerikulam as also the presence of some hard-core militants. He exercised imagination and calculated risk and approached the target areas in vehicles along a hitherto unmapped and sparsely used tract. He reached his target areas undetected and completely surprised the militants. In this action, Lieutenant Colonel Sekhon who was guiding the column killed two hard-core militants one of whom was found to be the Area Leader.

Again on 21 April 1988, when information was received about presence of 10 to 14 militants in village Urithirapuram, he gathered two platoons and along with another officer, personally led the column to the site of the militants. The party came under intense fire from the militants. He jumped out of his vehicle and despite intense militant fire, organised his party and returned the fire. He personally shot dead one militant and wounded another. It was at this stage of encounter that Lieutenant Colonel Sekhon was hit by a militant's bullet through the chest and died on the spot.

Throughout the operation, Lieutenant Colonel Abjit Singh Sekhon displayed gallantry and valour in the face of militants and made the supreme sacrifice.